What place do cars <$18,000 have in today's Price?

[Casey]

Yeah, that's essentially my reasoning. If taxes are 30%, a $20,000 trip adds up to at least $6,000 in taxes and I'm not willing to pay that much out of pocket.

That was my guess.  I almost wrote that and then didn't want to put words in your mouth.   Thanks!

[Mr. Weatherman]

It's worth noting that when they lifted the "American cars only" rule, that substantially opened the door for more cheap car choices. I mean, when was the last time we saw a van offered? They don't have to offer the same Dodge Neon every other show like they would have in the mid 90's if they wanted to go with the most budget-friendly choices for automobiles possible.

To their credit, they've successfully managed to increase the budget in other areas of the show while quietly offering cars that are, when adjusted for inflation, cheaper than their counterparts from 20 years ago. I don't like it, but it's tough to argue with results.

[thepriceis_J]

Sometimes it's best to use cars of a certain price. Dice Game would benefit well from using $20K cars because there a very few $11-13K cars meaning the number of options of cars to use in the game is dramatically decreased. Same goes for Card Game in which they have to offer cars of at least $18-19K, lest they allow the $1K to $3K cards allow for an instant win without doing anything, making the game almost pointless.

For me, there's a reason the show stopped using 4-digit cars in many games at a time when 4-digit cars were still readily available. It looks cheap. Regardless of whether or not the thing is reliable, in an era where sub-$14K cars are increasingly less common, it looks incredibly cheap of the show to offer up a car of such value. And even though having a car of any value would be nice (I know I could use a car right now), people would think differently of the show if it offered such cars on a regular basis. As the value of a dollar has changed, so has the average cost of a car (or any product for that matter). It'll keep going up and, for a place where some folks are derided for staying stuck in the past, telling the show to jump into the future by keeping up with the value of the car shouldn't be something equally derided as not appreciating the importance of any four-wheeled vehicle.

$15-17K cars are on the fringe. I have no problem with them. Most cars in that range look good. They're a great way to control the budget. They're fine. It's clear what their purpose is and nothing's wrong with it.

[Teddy]

Sometimes it's best to use cars of a certain price. Dice Game would benefit well from using $20K cars because there a very few $11-13K cars meaning the number of options of cars to use in the game is dramatically decreased. Same goes for Card Game in which they have to offer cars of at least $18-19K, lest they allow the $1K to $3K cards allow for an instant win without doing anything, making the game almost pointless.

For me, there's a reason the show stopped using 4-digit cars in many games at a time when 4-digit cars were still readily available. It looks cheap. Regardless of whether or not the thing is reliable, in an era where sub-$14K cars are increasingly less common, it looks incredibly cheap of the show to offer up a car of such value. And even though having a car of any value would be nice (I know I could use a car right now), people would think differently of the show if it offered such cars on a regular basis. As the value of a dollar has changed, so has the average cost of a car (or any product for that matter). It'll keep going up and, for a place where some folks are derided for staying stuck in the past, telling the show to jump into the future by keeping up with the value of the car shouldn't be something equally derided as not appreciating the importance of any four-wheeled vehicle.

$15-17K cars are on the fringe. I have no problem with them. Most cars in that range look good. They're a great way to control the budget. They're fine. It's clear what their purpose is and nothing's wrong with it.

Agreed, and that's why the show always has the option of using these cheaper cars in games where their price is already given away, in Bonus Game, Shell Game, Grocery Game, Bullseye and the like. And besides, I'm amazed to see the "1 as the first number" thing lasting for as long as it has, from the very first Golden Road playing 40 years ago, to the many game modifications during the 1980s and 90s, and so forth. The only difference is that back in 1975, $10,000 was the price of a high-end luxury vehicle, then later on for midsize and compact cars, and now there's no new car that can be had for that same price, lest the dealerships do lots of slashing here and there.

[BillyGr]

Yeah, that's essentially my reasoning. If taxes are 30%, a $20,000 trip adds up to at least $6,000 in taxes and I'm not willing to pay that much out of pocket.

The other side would be to look at it from the idea of you are getting a $20,000 trip for about 30% of the cost (or in other words 70% off retail).  That would be hard to do on your own at that price (I'd think?).

Even if you figure you could go the same trip for $10,000 if you removed all the "extras", you are still getting a 40% discount, plus the benefit of the better options that the trip they offer has to make it more expensive.  The equivalent idea would be a cruise line offering you a suite for less than it would otherwise cost for the smallest interior cabin.

[PatrickRox80]

The other side would be to look at it from the idea of you are getting a $20,000 trip for about 30% of the cost (or in other words 70% off retail).  That would be hard to do on your own at that price (I'd think?).

Even if you figure you could go the same trip for $10,000 if you removed all the "extras", you are still getting a 40% discount, plus the benefit of the better options that the trip they offer has to make it more expensive.  The equivalent idea would be a cruise line offering you a suite for less than it would otherwise cost for the smallest interior cabin.

There's still a big difference regarding the usability of a car as opposed to a trip. I commute to work five days a week, six or even seven during the busy season. I could replace the car I currently have by selling it to alleviate the tax burden. You can't do that with an expensive trip. Also, I'm going to be putting a lot of effort into something that I could keep maybe ten years down the road. Can't do that with a trip, either. Also, I live in New York and the trips are based on flying from Los Angeles. Unless it's a trip to say Australia or somewhere in Asia where a stopover in L.A. could be in the question, I'd think twice about accepting the trip.

[dmaingame]

Cars offered as prizes are a staple of the show....Having those vehicles that are less than $18K, makes the games more challenging for the contestants...considering automobiles were common on the show in the $18K price range 20-25 years ago....Other times in the modern era, I've seen $80,000 cars offered. This wide array of economy to luxury cars adds more depth to the show, much like the designer shoes, electronics, and other prizes selected compared to decades ago when it seemed like the same dozen or so prizes were being shown on a weekly basis...

[Mallory16]

The real issue is that they've inflated the prices of showcases, not that they offer cheap cars. For most of the show's life, the cheapest cars and the cheapest showcases were about equal. It's only recently that it's stopped being the case. The show stopped offering 4-digit cars and showcases around 1996-1997, so somewhere around $15,000-$16,000 should be the minimum for cars and showcases today.

The problem isn't really cheap cars: it's inflated showcases.

[Bitzers19]

Yesterday (1/7), I saw this showcase which included a car AND a trip to Morocco that worth only $24 thousand something. I was really shocked that that contestant who had it went over. I had to look up that car on the Internet, and it turns out that that car was worth between $14,000 and $15,000. So, we saw a car worth less than $18,000 on Price recently.

[Mr. Weatherman]

So, we saw a car worth less than $18,000 on Price recently.

And your point? You speak as if this is a new thing, despite this entire thread being centered around the topic of cars under $18,000, which we see literally every day on the show.

[ASja2002]

Today's Nissan Versas and Ford Fiestas are of the same ilk and budgetary need as say; Geo Metro, Chevy Spectrum/Chevette,Pontiac 1000/2000, Ford Pinto/Aspire/Escort. For every Cadillac and Lincoln on the show, you are going to find at least a dozen Mitsubishi Mirage DE's to go with it. The reason the 'regular' cars seem more visible at times is because back years ago, the $$$$$ cars were spaced out more evenly throughout the games and showcases. Now with "Big Money/Dream Car" weeks, they are more concentrated. Yet there are no fewer luxury cars now than there were before. Quite often a surprise BMW 128i or Mercedes C-class comes up in the showcases. Just a matter of contestants realizing not to bid much less than $37000 on such a showcase.Just my fair opinion

[dmaingame]

Now that I think of it, $17,000 for a Nissan Versa today is still a much better prize compared to an $8,500 Subaru Justy, GEO Metro, or Volkswagen Fox I remember seeing as the 4 digit prize in Make Your Move in the early 90s.  Those did seem cheap by that point, especially considering that many car games broke the $10K barrier around 1981 or 82...(Dice Game adopted its Deluxe modification when the board was still white), 3 Strikes + was played for a >$10,000 car when the turntable walls still had the lights around the borders and the 70s look)....Upon reading Frank's post, I was surprised to learn the last sub $10,000 car and showcase was seen in Season 25 (1996-97)...

[BillyGr]

For me, there's a reason the show stopped using 4-digit cars in many games at a time when 4-digit cars were still readily available. It looks cheap. Regardless of whether or not the thing is reliable, in an era where sub-$14K cars are increasingly less common, it looks incredibly cheap of the show to offer up a car of such value. And even though having a car of any value would be nice (I know I could use a car right now), people would think differently of the show if it offered such cars on a regular basis. As the value of a dollar has changed, so has the average cost of a car (or any product for that matter). It'll keep going up and, for a place where some folks are derided for staying stuck in the past, telling the show to jump into the future by keeping up with the value of the car shouldn't be something equally derided as not appreciating the importance of any four-wheeled vehicle.

$15-17K cars are on the fringe. I have no problem with them. Most cars in that range look good. They're a great way to control the budget. They're fine. It's clear what their purpose is and nothing's wrong with it.

Of course, even the cheapest of vehicles that they offer are still more expensive then the prizes in 90%+ of the other games if one compares them in that line.